1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mobile seat arrangement. Specifically, the invention is directed to a stroller or a pediatric wheelchair that is collapsible into a compact configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile seat arrangements include but are not limited to strollers and wheelchairs. For the purposes of simplicity, the term stroller will be used throughout this specification when referring to the prior art. It is to be understood that the invention relates to folding mobile seat arrangements, of which strollers are an embodiment, and that use of the word stroller is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to strollers.
Prior art strollers have been used for the transport of infants, children, invalids, or anyone suffering from a debilitating disease or condition. Strollers may also be used when a person is too weak to walk or in other similar situations. Often it is desirable to have a foldable stroller to allow for convenient transportation and storage when the stroller is not in use.
Some prior art strollers, when in use, provide only one position for the seat and back relative to the frame of the wheelchair. There are situations where the single position is uncomfortable for the user of the wheelchair. For example, a user seated in the stroller and wishing to sleep may be uncomfortable sitting in an upright position. Further, if the person being so transported in the stroller falls asleep, a more recumbent position may be desired than is provided in the upright seating condition. Additionally, when the stroller is pushed over or down some obstruction, such as a curb or the like, it is desired for both comfort and safety to tilt the seat to compensate for the tilt of the stroller so that the person does not fall from the stroller or undergo the sensation of being about to fall from the stroller. The seat and back support structures must, at all times during use, provide secure seating conditions regardless of the relative movement thereof with respect to the supporting frame. For convenient use, the weight of the entire structure must be kept to a minimum consistent with safety requirements so that it may be easily carried, moved and placed into and removed from a storage location by one person.
Most prior art strollers are also unable to fold into an elongated horizontal structure that is compact and capable of easy storage. Some strollers existing in the art are capable of folding side-to-side. Others are capable of folding front-to-rear. None of the wheelchairs in the art, however, are capable of both a folding motion that is top-to-bottom such that the wheelchair can lie substantially parallel with the ground and a folding motion that is side-to-side.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,882, a folding support structure is disclosed. This invention provides a stroller that is collapsible side-to-side and front-to-rear. This stroller has a pair of elongated frame tubes that are laterally foldable and held together at two spaced points on each of the tubes by front and rear x-braces. However, these x-braces do not permit the collapse of the stroller by lowering it toward the ground in a top-to-bottom manner. The absence of top-to-bottom folding capability limits the convenience and storage of the stroller.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a mobile seating arrangement which provides a comfortable seating position and which is capable of being collapsed top-to-bottom and side-to-side for easy transportation and storage.
The present invention provides a mobile seat arrangement which is laterally foldable in a side-to-side manner and which is also foldable in a top-to-bottom manner. One object of the invention is to provide a stroller that is foldable into a compact configuration for storage and transportation. Another object of the invention is to provide a stroller that presents a comfortable seating position for the user.
The stroller of the present invention is capable of being folded in a top-to-bottom manner. In one embodiment, the stroller includes handle systems that, when activated, allow the frame of the stroller to be lowered. In another embodiment, the lowering of the frame provides a tilted position for the user of the stroller. The stroller can be tilted to any position desired by the user. During the lowering of the stroller, the seat and back parts of the stroller are tilted as a unitary structure such that the angle between them remains constant.
The stroller is also foldable in a side-to-side to manner. In one embodiment, the stroller includes a rear lock brace assembly which is situated between two frame supports. The rear lock brace assembly includes a center hinge mechanism which, when untoggled when the stroller is in a lowered position, causes the frame to collapse in a such a manner that the left and right frame members move inward toward each other.
Additional brace assemblies may also be included to provide support for the stroller and to facilitate the side-to-side collapse of the stroller. These brace assemblies include a racking brace assembly and a bottom x-brace. In another embodiment, the invention also includes a seat and back portion which is removable from the stroller. In this embodiment, the left and right frame members include seat placement hooks, one located on the upper end and one located toward the lower end of each of the frame members. These hooks allow for the removable seat and back portion to be placed onto the frame and held in place.